We caught up with Camden rapper Mir Fontane about his latest project.
Mir Fontane signed with 300 Entertainment late last year and has since been putting in work on his latest project Camden. Camden is Mir’s way of paying tribute to his hometown, the good, the bad and the ugly. Mir paints vivid pictures of the grittier side of Camden and the challenges he and his friends have faced. The project speaks on love and loss in a manner that transports you to Camden. Listen to Camden below and find out what Mir had to say about the project.
How long have you been pursuing music?
About 6 or 7 years now.
When did you know this was something you wanted to do?
I want to say like my junior year of high school, I started taking it seriously.
Can you talk about some influential mixtapes or artists or projects while you were growing up?
All of the Dedications by Wayne, 50 Cent Get Rich Die Tryin. Definitely around the time I started taking it seriously, I listened to a lot of J. Cole, The Warm Up, Friday Night Lights. Kendrick, Section 80.
Was your family supportive when you decided you want to be a rapper?
Yes, my family supported anything I wanted to do, they believed I was meant to do something bigger, so it was all a matter of what I decided to do, I had their support with it pretty much.
Now Camden is paying homage to your hometown, can you talk about the production process behind the mixtape? How long it took to put together?
We started working on Camden in January. I just wanted the album to have a cinematic feel to it from the beginning to the end and that’s pretty much what we focused on trying to accomplish, and to pretty much have it be pictures and stories and along with the most relatable text possible.
There’s a lot of vulnerability and honesty on this project, was it hard to talk about those real life experiences?
Sometimes it is, but then I always think about how I’m helping somebody else and how it’s bigger than me. To reach out and touch somebody else and they’re going to have their own story to tell about how the song relates to them.
What was the hardest track to write off Camden?
Probably “Cold” because I wanted to do it justice. I reference Tupac and Biggie on the album. I wouldn’t say it was hard, but I paid the most attention to that song.
What was your favorite track off Camden?
I like “This Life” a lot, “Real N*****” too and “Money Bag.”
Are the experiences you mention more recent or are they ones from your childhood and can you elaborate on some of the harsher content?
It’s a mixture, some of it is what I went through growing up, some of it is recent, what I’m going through now with music and getting adjusted to this life, some of it is telling my friends’ stories because I felt it deserved to be on the album. Most of them are personal experiences or situations that I’m dealing with recently, and my thoughts and ideas now
Do you feel pressure to uplift the community of Camden?
Definitely, it’s a lot of pressure trying to represent and to be the first person to represent something that’s never been heard of so just to know and have that confirmation that I’m doing this the right way so far makes me feel good.
Can we expect any visuals to follow the project?
Absolutely. I know I definitely want to do one for “Real N*****” and “Cold.”
What do you have planned for the future? Any tours?
Fresh Out the Jungle Tour. Starting tomorrow we’re playing Blackwood, New Jersey, Baltimore, Philly.